Page 49 of Falling for Her

“Yeah.” All I can do is watch the two of them. I’m not sure I want to say one thing or another. “It’s fun, and you can relax there if you want.”

“I don’t know,” Finley hedges, “maybe your dad wants to spend time with you.” She glances at me.

“It’s fine by me if you come,” I say, surprising myself. “I mean, you wouldn’t be working or anything like that. You don’t even have to sit with us.”

“She can’t sit alone,” Asa balks. “That’s not safe.”

“Thanks, little man.” She smiles at him and holds out her fist, and he gives her a fist bump. “If it’s okay with your dad, I would love to come to the beach with you guys.”

“It’s a lake,” I remind her.

“Is there sand?” she asks, and I nod my head. “Then it’s a beach.” She pops the last bite of her bagel into her mouth.

I don’t bother telling her it’s not a beach because she gets up from the table. “What time will we be leaving?” she asks me, and I look back at the clock on top of the stove.

“We should head out soon. Going to stop at the bakery to grab some things to take with us. How long will you need to get ready?”

“About twenty minutes should be good.” She takes her plate with her to her apartment. “Come and knock when you guys are ready to head out.”

“When you finish, you are going to be in charge of packing the beach bag with the Frisbee and the soccer ball,” I tell Asa. “Then go get into your swim trunks and pack a change of clothes for after.”

“Got it.” He gets up, grabs his plate, and heads inside.

When I finish my bagel, I add my plate to the pile in the sink and head upstairs to my walk-in closet for my swim trunks and a T-shirt. Grabbing the black backpack in the corner, I put a pair of shorts and another T-shirt in it. I toss in my deodorant and notice that Finley’s pj’s are on the seat in the bathroom with my shorts. I leave them there and head to Asa’s room.

“Where is your change of clothes?” I ask him as he struggles to put on his shirt properly, turning it around his neck when he sees it’s backward. He slips his arms into the sleeves before finding the change of clothes and handing it to me to add to the backpack. I head downstairs to the bathroom, where I keep the sunscreen, then grab my keys, sunglasses, and phone at the door.

“Where is the beach bag?” I ask Asa as he puts on his sandals.

“I put it in the back, next to the truck. I’m going to go and get Finley.” He rushes out the door, slamming it behind him.

Finley is already walking out of her apartment as I lock the door, wearing white shorts with a blue long-sleeved linen shirt that buttons down the front. Only one side of it is tucked in, and she’s carrying a wicker basket in her hand.

“Who is excited to go to the beach?” she asks Asa.

“It’s a lake, Finley,” he reminds her as I get three beach chairs from the garage.

“What are those?” she asks me.

“Beach chairs for us to sit in. I’m going to grab the umbrella.” I toss my backpack in the back of the truck. “Asa, grab the bag of beach towels.”

“Beach chairs?” she says as if the words are foreign to her. “They don’t have, like, beach cabanas?”

I stare at her. “No.” It’s in this moment that I realize I don’t know anything about her life, besides that she’s getting divorced. “Have you ever been to a lake before?”

She cocks her head to the side. “I’m sure I’ve been to a lake before . . .” She taps her chin, then gasps when she thinks of something. “I’ve been to Lake Como.”

I snort. “Lake Como in Italy?”

“Is there another one?”

“No. But I might as well burst your bubble right now. This is not like Lake Como.”

“I mean, every lake is different,” she states as I put the umbrella in the truck and Asa adds three towels. “But I’m sure this one is just as good.”

“Can’t wait to see what you think,” I mumble. “Get in the truck, everybody.”

She watches Asa get in the back of the extended cab before she gets into the front seat. “This is fun,” she says, reaching for her seat belt, “isn’t it, big guy?”